from Coastin', October 2001 ...

Thanks go to Paula Weant for this account of a recent cycling vacation taken by club members Troy Bush & Margot Rott, Jim & Paula Weant, and Ralph Rutledge & Melissa Magee:

Tour d’Alps August 16-24, 2001; Europe

I'll be the first to admit, I was very apprehensive about our trip to Europe. I was not concerned about the biking portion, I knew once we were on the bike tour, our guides would be with us to take care of any problems. My biggest concern was - how would four bumpkins (Margot, Troy, Jim & I) from Gaston County survive the first five days before the tour where we did not speak or read the language. I just knew we would starve because we could not read the menus, get hopelessly lost in our rental car, or cause a national incident while trying to communicate with the locals.

Our first five days turned out to be a very pleasant surprise. We found very few people who spoke English but we did know enough Italian and with hand gestures, were able to communicate. We never really got lost in our rental car with Jim as our driver and Troy as our navigator, we just went a few places we did not intend to go. Eating turned out to be a true experience. We would just close our eyes and pick items off the menus and pray they would be edible. We had some wonderful meals, great & cheap local wines with very few bad surprises (raw bacon, squid).

We stayed in Aosta, Italy, the first five days of our trip and took some wonderful day trips. We spent one day in Zermatt, Switzerland home of the Matterhorn. One day driving around the lake region of Como and Lugano. Our favorite day was in Cogne, Italy, a national park with fabulous hiking. We also went to Courmayeur home of the Italian side of Monte Blanc (Europe's tallest mountain).

I think Troy and Margot were tired of driving and welcomed the biking portion of our trip. We had 14 riders and two guides. We rode for 7 days (about 300 TOUGH miles) and had two hiking days (the glacier @ Monte Blanc and Refuge Du Fond De Fours in Val D'lsere). This year we had new rental bikes with Campy components which worked well after getting used to the system. The riding was difficult with lots of climbing. Thankfully, we did have good weather all but two days. The scenery was spectacular, the most beautiful I have ever seen.

I can honestly say this vacation turned out to be my most favorite. We did have a few little hiccups but they only added to the experience. I am truly glad that Margot, Troy, Ralph, and Melissa were with Jim and me during our trip. It makes the vacation even more special sharing it with friends. I am looking forward to my next trip to Europe and can't wait to share our pictures with my bike gang. -Paula Weant